He and his brother, Kenny, 45, also of Creve Coeur, decided to do a little fishing Thursday on the big lake — McMaster Lake. They were on the lake for about a half hour when a friend in Pekin called to let them know a "storm was heading our way."

The brothers looked to the sky and "all we saw was like a big cotton ball with an anvil on it — it really didn’t look ominous," Jackson said. The two went back to fishing in their 15-foot plastic canoe.

Just seven minutes later, the storm that brought with it winds of up to 80 mph in areas, was on top of the men. The storm started developing cells near the Mississippi River and gained intensity as it traveled through Warren County into Knox County and on to the Chicago area, all within about two hours.

"We turned around ... it was black underneath with a white band around it — it covered the whole sky," said Jackson, a self-employed upholsterer specializing in street and hot rods.

The men didn’t have time to get off the lake but made it behind an island in the middle. There they tied up to a beaver dam and prepared for the worst.

"We positioned ourselves so the island was between us and the storm," Jackson said.

They then covered themselves with a thin sheet of plastic and held on.

"The wind was just whipping around us — we couldn’t even hear each other talk. We just held onto the canoe," Jackson said. "Waves were probably 3-feet to 5-feet high on the lake ... the noise was so loud we thought it had to be a tornado. Limbs and branches were flying over us. If we’d been anywhere else on that lake we probably would have drowned.

"I tell you, it was one of the most scariest times of my life. I’ve never been that scared before," he said.

While it seemed like the storm lasted forever, Jackson said it was probably about 15 minutes.

"We were just lucky to get to a place to sit it out. We didn’t even get wet since we had the plastic," he said. "I can’t imagine what (residents) are going through right now.

"After the storm passed, we were just so thankful to be alive," he said.

As they headed home, the men were forced to find an alternative road as Snake Den Road was inpassable due to downed trees.

"I pray to God I never experience anything like that again," Jackson said.